Grand Canyon N.P. Backpacking Trek 1985

Tuesday, July 16After going to bed at 2:30 a.m. this morning, we enjoyed sleeping in
until 10:30 a.m. The guys cooked a great breakfast of eggs and sausage.
We leisurely got ready and then journeyed to our first view of the canyon
- Mather Point. It was certainly breathtaking. We spent the day as tourists
- visiting the various stores, taking the West Rim shuttle and enjoying
different views of the canyon. One highlight was our trip to the IMAX theater
- a six story high screen, giving us mouthwatering glimpses of the Grand
Canyon. After seeing the film, we had a lunch of meat sandwiches, chips,
and cookies. Our day seemed to draw to a close rather quickly as the sun
turned in for the day. We did get the opportunity to select matching Grand
Canyon T-shirts. We returned to Ten-X campground about 1:00 a.m. where
we had a late dinner of spaghetti. We all were exhausted and turned in
at 3:30 a.m. We were able to set up our tents earlier today - it's amazing
how daylight can help.

Wednesday, July 17We overslept by ten minutes, but our fearless leader woke up and got
us in action. We quickly dressed and ate cold cereal and then left, heading
for Page Arizona and a day of rafting. We arrived in Page about 11:30 a.m.,
checked in and paid for our trip and then waited until noon for our bus
ride to Glen Canyon Dam. We arrived at the massive dam and boarded the
raft to float downstream. We floated down the smooth water, soaking up
the warm sun and taking in a different perspective of the canyon walls.
Our first stop was to view a few Indian Petroglyphs carved on a wall of
the canyon. We then continued on downstream. Our next stop was lunch. Our
river guides laid out a nice table of lunch meat and all the trimmings
and all thirty of us feasted on the cold cuts. Our Scouts took a dip in
the 44 degree water while waiting on lunch to be spread out. After eating
the guys challenged each other to see who could go out the farthest in
the water. John Walsh won the deal - one dollar paid by the Scoutmaster.
We went on with our trip and soon stopped at a nice beach for everyone
to have a chance to get their feet wet - or more if they dared. After leaving
the beach we ran into some cold rain which subsided by the time we got
to Lee's Ferry at 6:30 p m. From here we boarded the bus and took an hour
long ride back to Page. We stopped for milk, film, and gas, and then started
our return trip to the South Rim. We arrived at camp rather late; but we
fixed chopped sirloin and packed our packs for the big day.

Up to this point the journal has given all clock times in Eastern Standard
time. However, times reported for the following trail journal are given
in Mountain Standard time to emphasize the "way it was." The difference
in the time zones is three hours.

Thursday, July 18Morning came early after only four hours of sleep. Even so, we began
the trail later than planned. After eating, last minute packing, and parking
the van at the trailhead, we began the South Kaibab Trail at 6:39 a.m.
The South Kaibab Trail is a series of several steep descending switchbacks
which takes us through varying colors of rock and sand - from gray to red
to white. The 7.1 mile trek will eventually take us down in elevation one
mile. As we started the trail the temperature was tolerable and the guys
did well at conquering our quest. We met a few mule trains on their way
up. At 7:s6 a.m. we reached the one and one half mile point where we made
a stop for water and use of the pit. We continue our hike as the temperature
rose some. From this trail we also viewed the only natural arch visible
from a maintained trail. Lizards were a common sight as they scurried to
get away from their large trespassers. We made several stops for water
and treating blisters when necessary. One of our stops included a trip
down the steep hillside for our Scoutmaster to rescue a dirt-ridden cowboy
hat. It was reassuring to see the Colorado River and then cross over it
on the Kaibab Suspension Bridge. We arrived at Bright Angel campground
at 11:00 a.m. and we were all ready for some R and R. We soaked our feet
in the Bright Angel Creek and fixed our first meal of assorted backpacking
food. As the day slipped away we took in some of the sights at the bottom
including the snack bar at Phantom Ranch. Many of us phoned home to tell
them of our first day's voyage. As we got ready for bed, several deer meandered
through our campsite looking for a free meal and finding one in Kevin Gunn's
low-hung pack. We turned in early looking ahead to a big day tomorrow.

Friday, July 19We tried to catch up on our sleep a little and left Bright Angel Campground
at 7:10 a.m. We headed north, walking with the creek in the Bright Angel
Canyon on the North Kaibab Trail. We crossed four bridges as we went through
an area called The Box - high canyon walls on either side of us. We stopped
for lunch near Ribbon Falls. Some Scouts put in the additional mileage
to see the falls. This trail was a gentle climb up the canyon as we reached
Cottonwood Campground (elevation 4000). We finished the 6.9 miles at 12:45
p.m. After a short rest and something to eat, Terry and the Scouts put
in two and one half hours of service work for the ranger. We spent time
putting rocks around the perimeter of our own group campsite, Òbrushing
over" or closing a now unused trail, and raking out the drainage ditch
that ran through the camp to keep the Cottonwoods well-watered. As we finished
our duties, the clouds appeared and brought with them an afternoon of showers.
As we took shelter under the ranger's porch, John snoozed away back at
camp. The skies eventually cleared, we ate dinner, and turned in for a
good dry night's sleep.

Saturday, July 20We left Cottonwood at 6:09 a.m. to continue the long trek to the North
Rim of the Grand Canyon. This time we split into two groups so that some
of us could go at a slower pace and not hold the others up. The trail began
as a gradual incline until we soon crossed a bridge and were in sight of
the infamous lemonade stand. Unfortunately, we were too early for a cool
drink so we took a quick stop and continued on up the trail. Here, the
trail got much steeper and more difficult. We encountered numerous switchbacks
and what seemed an unending number of uphill climbs. After climbing 1000
feet in elevation, we passed Roaring Springs which is the vast water source
which supplies water to both the north and south rims. Not far after this
we passed a sign that said we were yet three miles from the North Rim.
We were certain we had come much further. The trail then descended a little
to cross a bridge and then take us up two more sets of switchbacks to reach
the Supai Tunnel. Here we took another rest as the mules do at the same
spot on the half day mule trip. We soon continued on and when we were about
one mile from the top the rain began coming down pretty hard. The good
thing was that the rain kept the temperature down. Besides that, we were
a wet, ugly mess and the trail was even worse. The last of our group reached
the top at 12:30 p.m. after 6.9 miles of very difficult climbing. Our elevation
at this point is now 8200 feet. Soon after we reached the top, the rain
subsided and we walked to the shower and laundry building. We were all
thrilled to finally shower and get our clothes clean again. The rain had
started up again so we hung around the building until it again cleared
and we could go set up camp. Each person first spent their ten dollar allowance
at the camp store which was to feed them until we began our trek back into
the Canyon. We set up camp and then took the mile rim walk to Grand Canyon
Lodge. Some of us were looking frantically for a greasy hamburger, somewhat
unsuccessfully. Several of us ended up back at the campground pub for a
microwave burger. After a few video games we all turned in for the night.

Sunday, July 21We slept in as long as we could and got up at 7:00 a.m. At 7:30 a.m.
the shuttle picked all of us up except John and took us to the North Kaibab
Trailhead and began the planned half day mule ride. They sized us up and
gave us the appropriate mule and we left about 8:00 a.m. heading for the
Supai Tunnel . It was a fun trip and a great break from our normal way
of traveling. We got to the tunnel and stayed 30 minutes to view the Canyon
and let the mules rest. We all posed for Terry as she took our pictures
upon our mule. We got back to the top and took the crowded shuttle back
to the campground. Everyone ate and then chose their favorite spot on the
picnic tables for an afternoon nap. We woke up at various times and the
rest of the day we spent as each person chose - walking around the North
Rim, eating, taking pictures, going to church, playing video games, or
just vegetating around camp.

Monday, July 22We got up early, folded camp, and the first group left the North Rim
Campground at 5:30 a.m. We hiked to the North Kaibab trailhead and began
the trail at 5:50 a.m. The trail was a strenuous downhill trek. With frequent
stops and intermittent pauses for trash pickup, the first group arrived
at the bridge (which crosses the Roaring Springs fault) and waited for
over an hour until the second group was in sight. We continued on and made
a long relaxing stop at the now open lemonade stand. We enjoyed quizzing
the three young boys who were running the stand. It turns out that the
home is leased by the NPS to a ranger who works at the Roaring Springs
water treatment plant. At present, 11 people live in the modern seven year
old home. The children get their schooling from their mother and they receive
groceries via helicopter. We enjoyed our chat and then moved on to finish
the 6.9 miles. We arrived at Cottonwood Campground at 10:55 p.m. After
a short rest and and then delicious dehydrated meal, we all worked one
and one fourth hours for the ranger digging trenches and picking up trash.
The hard work made the guys ready for some cool refreshment so they took
a cold dip in the creek. After swimming and wading a bit we ate and turned
in at our assigned 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, July 23When John's alarm went off at 2:30 a.m. it sure seemed early but we
knew we had a long day of hiking ahead of us and we needed an early start.
We broke camp and left by 4:00 a.m. heading again for the river. We got
to Phantom Ranch at 7:15 a.m. and waited until 8:00 a.m. for the snack
bar to open so we could mail some letters and pig out on chocolate. By
8:39 a.m. we were on the trail again. This time crossing the Silver Bridge,
we headed up the Bright Angel Trail for what seemed to be home - the South
Rim! The trail was difficult, and with no rain to cool us, very exhausting.
After topping Devil's Corkscrew, a mean set of switchbacks, we entered
a more vegetated area and then finally reached our goal for today - Indian
Gardens Campground. After hiking 11.9 miles, we arrived at 11:30 a.m. to
an overpopulated campground due to the traffic of mule riders. We relax
in the shade on a cement slab porch of a storage shed for a couple of hours.
Then we claimed a newly vacated campsite, set up camp, ate and turned in
at an early 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, July 24John's alarm woke us at an early 2:30 a.m. to begin our last day of
the voyage. We ate and packed up, leaving Indian Gardens at 4:10 a.m. We
started with our dimly lit flashlights and proceeded up the trail to our
now near goal. We were encouraged by seeing the lights of the South Rim.
By 8:00 a.m. our flashlights were put away and we were approaching Jacob's
Ladder, the worst switchbacks of the trip. We soon split into two groups,
so that John and Terry could proceed at a leisurely pace while the Scouts
raced against the clock. The trail was strenuous but our our ongoing encouragement
was that we were at the end and just minutes from conquering what we had
set out to do - the rim to rim to rim trail. We finished our 4.6 miles
for today, totaling 44.3 miles of canyon hiking. By 7:30 a.m. we were all
to the top and activity at the rim was at a minimum. The guys all relaxed
along the rim by the Bright Angel Lodge while Terry took a taxi to Yaki
Point to retrieve the van and the U-Haul. She returned to the lodge after
finding the van and U-Haul in A-1 condition. We made a quick dash to the
shower and laundry building. We spent over two hours washing our clothes
and bodies and then headed for Ten-X Campground to set up camp and eat
a civilized meal of hamburgers. We topped the meal off with a cake and
song for Steve Carey's 17th birthday. We ate and set up camp quickly and
then headed back to Grand Canyon Village for an evening of shopping. John
and Terry treated the guys to ice cream for their accomplishment and then
everyone enjoyed browsing in the shops at a relaxed pace. We ended the
evening very appropriately by taking one last view of the beautiful Grand
Canyon from Mather Point. We journeyed back to camp to enjoy a super meal
of steak and baked potatoes prepared on charcoal. After an easy cleanup,
everyone went to bed without reluctance.

Now that our excursion has ended, this journal shall make all time references
in Eastern Standard time.

Thursday, July 25Everyone enjoyed a good night's sleep getting up at a late 11:00 a.m.
We ate a leisure breakfast of French toast, sausage, and bacon, broke camp
and left Ten-X Campground at 1:39 p.m. We made a stop at Babbitt's for
a few last minute souvenirs and then proceed with the Eastern Rim drive,
stopping at Desert View Watchtower. We left the park and spent the next
couple of hours shopping at the roadside stands on the Navajo Indian Reservation.
We all enjoyed a refreshing sno-cone sold by a vender along the road. We
traveled heading northeast for Arches National Park. We stopped along the
road for peanut butter sandwiches and then continued on North for Utah.
We got to Moab about 12:05 a.m., made a quick stop for groceries and went
on to Arches. We got to the park at about 12:30 a.m., drove to the campground,
and found our campsite. The campsite was very different with sand and desert
plant life galore. We heated up a great tasting meal of chili and soon
thereafter the guys made themselves beds around the picnic tables. John
and Terry worked for some time on the expense account and then dozed off
in the van.

Friday, July 26We caught up on a little sleep and got up at 10:15 a.m. We had cold
cereal for breakfast, folded camp, and left about 12:30 p.m. to see the
sights of Arches National Park. Our first stop included a two mile, round
trip walk to Landscape Arch. This arch is the longest known natural arch
in the world with a span of 291 feet. From here we continued backwards
on the auto tour taking in such sights as Skyline Arch, Double Arch, The
Windows, Balanced Rock, and other facets of the barren land. Some of the
Scouts and John, tackled the strenuous three mile hike to and from Delicate
Arch. We completed the tour by 5:30 p.m. and made a change in plans to
head north for I-70. We stopped for gas and just prior to crossing the
Utah-Colorado border made a stop for hot dogs and leftover chili. John
decided to get as much driving in as we could so we again were on the road
heading east. We crossed into Colorado and absorbed the color and beauty
of this new midwestern state. Making stops only for gas, John and Terry
drove until we crossed the Colorada-Kansas border while the guys slept.
We crossed into Kansas and stopped at the first rest area at about 5:00
a.m. We slept here due to lack of campgrounds in the area.

Saturday, July 27We got up, ate breakfast and left the rest area at 11:15 a.m. went
well as we knocked off Kansas sooner than expected. We stopped at a rest
area about 2:30 p.m. for our last meal of sandwiches. The guys played games
and slept off and on until we stopped in Columbia, Missouri at about 10:00
p.m. Here we feasted on four large pizzas and three pictures of Pepsi at
a Pizza Hut. We journeyed on thinking we would stop at a campground within
the next hour. We looked, but to no avail, for a good spot for the night.
Our unsuccessful search brought us closer and closer to our sights of Ohio
so we switched drivers and decided to drive all the way through. The guys
caught a little shut eye and we traveled through the night and break of
day. We were reassured to cross Ohio's border and much relieved to enter
Englewood at 8:30 a.m., Sunday, July 28th. We filled up the van with gas
and our stomachs with McDonald's before going to John and Terry's. We all
worked hard to unload, wash the van, write thank-you letters, and wash
ourselves. Parents were glad to see us and welcomed us back about 11:30
a.m. when our long successful journey came to a close.